Hutsal Folk Art

The Hutsuls are an ethno-cultural group of Ukrainian highlanders who for centuries have inhabited the Carpathian mountains, mainly in Ukraine but also the northern extremity of next-door Romania.  Hutsul society was traditionally based on forestry and logging, as well as cattle and sheep breeding.  Most of the old churches we saw were built of wood with intricate craftsmanship.  This one, in Kolomyia, was built in 1587

We visited a museum of Hutsul folk art in Kolomyia and were able to take photos of the exhibits.

These are from exhibits that show a model of another church, the wooden furniture crafted for the home, as well as their woven articles.

Their pottery usually used these green, yellow and brown tones and featured natural motifs.  This shows some of their bowls and a tiled stove/oven

They wove woolen and linen items in patterns that remind us of Western Indians.

They also did beadwork in patterns that look very Indian to us!

Their folk dress is very interesting and colorful with ornamentation.  As shepherds, wool and sheepskin was used. There is much embroidery.  These exhibits were inside glass cases and often the light from opposite windows created glares that I tried to crop out of the photo.  Notice the small long-handled hatchet at the man's side in the first photo--it is a "bartok"

This gives you a close-up of the vest and jacket that is embroidered on the outside of the sheepskin suede with the wool left on the inside for warmth.

Here you see the leather turned-up-toe style moccasin they made worn with woolen knitted stockings and leggings if necessary.   "Pysanky" or decorated eggs will be a separate blog!

Ornate dress for special occasions like weddings!

Carpathian Harvests

GRASS HAY

When we entered the Carpathians, we noticed that grass hay was being cut along the highways, in the yards, and on the hillsides--mostly by scythes and only occasionally by a cutting machine about the size of a tiller.  Then we noticed the different ways haystacks were built.  These were especially interesting as the grass was hand hung on a triangular frame and propped up to face the sun.  We also saw a few rectangular frames.  In the following picture the grass that has been cut with a machine is still on the ground in the foreground. 

In smaller fields and on hillsides only the scythes could be used, usually by men, while women often raked the hay into pile with wooden-toothed rakes.  These tall piles were usually centered on a pole from the top on an evergreen tree.  I don't know if they are moved to another location later.  And I don't know why they made some thin and some fat!

Often the hay needed to be carted to another location.  Here are men leaving to go to the hay fields (their poles, scythes and rakes were in the cart) and some of the many loads we passed on the highways:

This man needed his morning coffee; he obviously didn't need gasoline!

POTATOES

We dont't know if they had previously killed the potato vines, but everyone was digging their potatoes in their home gardens and in their larger gardens outside of town.  They hand picked them up and put them in the white woven plastic sacks.  

These workers had finished their job and were resting while waiting for their sacks to be picked up!

All that day while we were driving it was hazy from the smokey fires of burning potato vines.

FRUITS

Driving south of the Carpathians we went through areas of vineyards and where each home had a grape arbor.  One city's name was Vinograd which means "grape".  We ate our lunch under the shade of this grape arbor next to the small cafe.

Then we drove on the north side of the Carpathians through areas where there were orchards of apples, pears, plums.  This was a roadside lineup of vendors where we bought fruit to eat.  Peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and squash were also available.

I was not impressed with the old orchards which didn't seem tended at all.  

But there were areas where new dwarf/semi-dwarf trees had been planted, in home gardens and in orchards that were bearing.  

They don't have to irrigate crops so even old trees produce fruit.  We passed by this long truck-load of apples and shortly thereafter came to the processing plant where such trucks were being unloaded!

OTHER VEGETABLES

Corn in big fields was being harvested for silage and in small family gardens it was being "shocked"

Squash vines were being cut away and the squash was being piled up or taken home.

The cabbage plants will be left in the field for awhile.  In the middle of Ukraine we passed large fields where grain had been harvested and where sugar beets remained to be harvested.  The sunflowers are bowing down with the weight of the growing seeds.  Ukraine is a very productive agricultural country.

People like to grow flowers in their yards.  They also sell them along the streets.

Borders

Southwestern Ukraine borders Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.  Here is the border just west outside Uzhhorod with Slovakia.  (Not much farther north the west border is with Poland!)

Part of the border with Hungary is along the Tisza river.  Here is the border crossing, and then the river bridge and where cows are being coaxed back home.

As the Tisza flows west to east, there is a stretch where it is the border again, this time with Romania.  I couldn't get a picture right on the river, but the mountains on the horizon are in Romania.

Farther to the east, the southern border is with Moldova.  You will already know that the eastern border of Ukraine is with Russia and on the north is Belarus.